"One million commuters waste about 47 million hours per year because of traffic congestion," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Thus the need for Essential Skill # 36:
Decongest downtown.
As unlikely as it seems, Manhattan demonstrates just the kind of decongestion de Rothschild is talking about. Sure, there's bumper-to-bumper traffic in the streets, but there's also heel-to-toe traffic on the sidewalks, as so many Manhattanites "hoof it" most everywhere they go. Or they ride bikes, or take public transportation.
In fact, 82 percent of Manhattan residents walk, bike or take public transit instead of riding or driving in a car. The results are substantial:
"Manhattanites consume gasoline at a low rate that the country as a whole hasnt' matched since the 1920s," writes de Rothschild, "and generate less than one-third of the carbon emissions of the average American."
In the Handbook, de Rothschild notes three ways that cities are decongesting their downtown areas: 1) Charging vehicles to go downtown, 2) City bike programs and 3) Bus Rapid Transit, where one lane is designated for buses only. Cities all over the world are adopting programs like these at a greater rate than ever, and the public is responding.
Click these links for details on congestion charging, shared bike programs and bus rapid transit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
We live in the Phoenix Metropolitian Area where they've spent the past four years working on a way to decongest downtown -- a light rail system set to open in December of this year. If public involvement goes according to plan, it will initially carry 3,000 to 5,000 passengers per hour.
Post a Comment